Lenovo’s debut Windows 8 tablet priced at $799, includes keyboard

The package isn't too pricey, but some competitors don't force the keyboard.

The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which comes with a stylus and active digitizer

Lenovo's Windows 8 tablet, the ThinkPad Tablet 2 (including its keyboard dock), will retail for $799, the company told WP Central Thursday. The 10.1-inch tablet has a 1366x768 display and a reported battery life of ten hours.

Previously the ThinkPad Tablet 2 was rumored to be between $600 and $700 in price, though most of the speculation was unclear about whether the keyboard would be included (for some Windows 8 tablets like the Asus Vivo Tab and Vivo Tab RT, docks are sold separately). Lenovo may be wise to keep the pieces bundled together, as Microsoft's own hardware choices have implied Windows 8 is an anger-making experience without a separate keyboard. The full version of Office 2013 is included, but it's unclear whether the docks that add an Ethernet port, HDMI, and three USB ports will be in the box as well.

We can't say that we're huge fans of the keyboard dock we've seen appearing alongside the ThinkPad Tablet 2, due to the fact that it forces the tablet to sit at a fixed angle. Clamshell designs that allow the tablet to close against a keyboard are a little more appealing, but we're not without alternatives, like the HP Envy X2.

WP Central notes that the ThinkPad Tablet 2 is targeted more at enterprise than consumers, and that Lenovo's RT tablet segment will likely hit a $300-$600 price range. The tablet's speculated release date is October 26, right alongside Windows 8 itself.

An Atom CPU and 1366x768 display? So $800 for what amounts to a netbook with a touchscreen? Golly gee, I'm just bursting with excitement.

Not that the same (or worse) can't be said for basically all "premium" tablets. I can't wait for this trend to die. At least Google (see: Nexus 7) and Amazon are finally pushing tablets towards the price points they belong at.

What's the point of releasing a tablet that costs more than the average laptop? Enterprise-focused or not, who buys this crap?

It's got more ports than an "average" laptop, plus an extra camera, and it's smaller which means more convenient and portable. And the $800 includes Office 2013 which your average laptop definitely doesn't.

kmc239 wrote:

$799? Good luck with that one. I heard that some models of the Surface are going to be priced at < $400.

What's the point of releasing a tablet that costs more than the average laptop? Enterprise-focused or not, who buys this crap?

It's got more ports than an "average" laptop, plus an extra camera, and it's smaller which means more convenient and portable. And the $800 includes Office 2013 which your average laptop definitely doesn't.

kmc239 wrote:

$799? Good luck with that one. I heard that some models of the Surface are going to be priced at < $400.

That's probably not going to happen.

So has Microsoft frozen sales for all their partners by not announcing a price?

An Atom CPU and 1366x768 display? So $800 for what amounts to a netbook with a touchscreen? Golly gee, I'm just bursting with excitement.

Not that the same (or worse) can't be said for basically all "premium" tablets. I can't wait for this trend to die. At least Google (see: Nexus 7) and Amazon are finally pushing tablets towards the price points they belong at.

Google has said they are selling the Nexus 7 at or near cost and hoping to make their money off of ads that are shown on the free apps in Google Play. While the $200 price is appealing, not every company can afford to sell hardware at or below cost.

What's the point of releasing a tablet that costs more than the average laptop? Enterprise-focused or not, who buys this crap?

I think someone said that to Apple once and yet we sit here with millions of iPads sold. I've been waiting for a tablet/laptop combo that has a full OS on it and while I'm not big on the price or the specs at least these are a step in the right direction.

kmc239 wrote:

$799? Good luck with that one. I heard that some models of the Surface are going to be priced at < $400.

Yeah good luck with that!! Almost all the leaked pricing shows most Windows 8 tablets costing far more than that and I highly doubt Microsoft will undercut their own OEM partners by that much. I'd love to see it its just not likely to happen.

I really dug the keyboards for this, because together with the 10" screen, it's a dead ringer for my first pc from egad 15 YEARS ago. Love to this as a retro plain laptop design at a reasonable price, tiny laptop, trackpoint only. Ah well, dream on.

An Atom CPU and 1366x768 display? So $800 for what amounts to a netbook with a touchscreen? Golly gee, I'm just bursting with excitement.

This is baffling. Why would they think anyone is going to pay $800 for what essentially amounts to low end netbook specs.

Perhaps Acer will crack this one. They used to sell a $500 Windows 7 tablet. Will upgrading that one to Windows 8, drive the price up $300, or will they have the first sensibly priced Windows 8 tablet?

While I agree that MS absolutely must hit that $400-500 price point with at least a couple tablets, the people griping about this need some perspective. How much is a 64GB iPad with LTE? $829, and it's missing the keyboard, digitizer, an office suite, and has a fraction of the SW available that Windows has.

On the other side, show me a netbook with this SOC, a touch screen, a Wacom digitizer and an SSD at any price. Good luck.

I guess a ~$350 software package sweetens the deal if you already had intentions of buying it, but the hardware seems underwhelming. Honestly, the new ipad probably has a better chance of success in the corporate world.

I suppose Office is nice for reviewing files, but I can't see content creation on a wxga screen without a mouse and keyboard.

While I agree that MS absolutely must hit that $400-500 price point with at least a couple tablets, the people griping about this need some perspective. How much is a 64GB iPad with LTE? $829, and it's missing the keyboard, digitizer, an office suite, and has a fraction of the SW available that Windows has.........

You are forgetting that the Apple brand name adds $200-$300 to the price. Microsoft, Lenovo, Acer and all the others have no such brand value. Sony used to, but ruined it by making junk.

Not even sure I would buy one of these on the inescapable fire sale that will be coming. Where are the good resolution screens on these announcements? Apple can't have secured all the high rez stock on the planet, can they? Oh well, let's see how far these drop and how fast.

Not even sure I would buy one of these on the inescapable fire sale that will be coming. Where are the good resolution screens on these announcements? Apple can't have secured all the high rez stock on the planet, can they? Oh well, let's see how far these drop and how fast.

It has nothing to do with Apple. You will find many of these companies are offering HD screens, but they are reserving them for their $1000+ tablets. If you want an "inexpensive" $700-$800 Atom tablet, 768p is good enough for you.

It's as if no one can read a spec sheet. Find me a netbook that has 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD storage, an IPS display, and good battery life. Anyone who thinks that just because the CPU is named Atom means it's basically a netbook is kidding themselves!

It's as if no one can read a spec sheet. Find me a netbook that has 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD storage, an IPS display, and good battery life. Anyone who thinks that just because the CPU is named Atom means it's basically a netbook is kidding themselves!

Come on man, when was the last time you saw an MS article on Ars where the first half dozen comments weren't FUD?

@Stone

This thing comes with a keyboard that includes a Trackpoint. Something I can't stand, but Lenovo users tend to swear by them.

What's the point of releasing a tablet that costs more than the average laptop? Enterprise-focused or not, who buys this crap?

It's got more ports than an "average" laptop, plus an extra camera, and it's smaller which means more convenient and portable. And the $800 includes Office 2013 which your average laptop definitely doesn't.

kmc239 wrote:

$799? Good luck with that one. I heard that some models of the Surface are going to be priced at < $400.

That's probably not going to happen.

and this form factor for Windows 8 is not going to happen...how many times does it need to said....if you are not at least cheaper then the iPad no one is going to buy your crappy idea, i don't care if the ports do my dishes...what are we even connecting to these tablets?...should it not be connecting to everything it needs without wires?!?....do we really have to explain the failure of every android platform to not even make a dent in Apples market share in this space....how disappointing, i had such hopes they were paying attention, when does the Courier come out? /sigh

It's as if no one can read a spec sheet. Find me a netbook that has 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD storage, an IPS display, and good battery life. Anyone who thinks that just because the CPU is named Atom means it's basically a netbook is kidding themselves!

nobody who has a clue wants a tablet with these specs, we are not doing heavy lifting type of computing on these devices, all they had to do was match apple spec wise and offer a lower price to at least justify considering it, then once you have an installed base to depend on , THEN you can apply the rims and apply the Swarovski.

I think this will be my fully functional no-excuses, content creation, runs-all-my-software laptop replacement, with the eye candy for occasional content consumption...

I dont want to download 10's of crappy applications to try and replicate software that I already have. I never understood why an app from the app store to read word/excel/pdf was an improvement from just using the real application...

While I agree that MS absolutely must hit that $400-500 price point with at least a couple tablets, the people griping about this need some perspective. How much is a 64GB iPad with LTE? $829, and it's missing the keyboard, digitizer, an office suite, and has a fraction of the SW available that Windows has.

On the other side, show me a netbook with this SOC, a touch screen, a Wacom digitizer and an SSD at any price. Good luck.

Wow...an intelligent response. Not a dig at you Jon...it's just nice to see some actual thought when most people don't seem to think much before they type.

When you say active digitizer, does that mean a wacom-style pen, in addition to regular finger/capacitive input? As in tilt, pressure, precision, etc?

Because if this thing could be used a wireless Cintiq, then that changes its value proposition completely.

Quote:

An active digitizer is a powered digitizer, which requires a specialized input device, such as a stylus or pen. (NOTE: Do NOT confuse the stylus of an active digitizer with the stylus of a resistive touch screen. An active digitizer MUST use the stylus it comes with, while a resistive touch screen stylus is just a piece of plastic, you can use anything for input). The advantage of an active digitizer is that it can tell when the tip of the input "pen" is in the near proximity of the touch screen. This means that you can "hover" the pen over the surface of the touch screen, and the computer would be able to follow the pen with a cursor, even though the pen is not physically touching the screen. How exactly this works, even I don't know (ask a professional). An active digitizer has the added advantage of being significantly more accurate than using a capacitive stylus with a passive capacitive touch screen; however, it also has it's disadvantages. An active digitizer is bulky (takes up more physical room on top of the actual LCD screen), it kills the battery faster, but most of all, it's significantly more expensive.

I actually had a hard time finding straight information on what an AD is, so I'm not sure if it's correct or not. Especially since in other information I read, it stated that a finger could also be used. "The stylus that it comes with" seems a bit too specific these days (as in requiring only a Lenovo stylus), and is perhaps just distinguishing the difference between a regular resistive touch and having to use a "specifically made" stylus.

I would presume that it is both touch and stylus (all things considered), just with the pros/cons of how it uses a stylus.

Also found this:

Quote:

Active digitizers need special pens. There are two dominant suppliers of active digitizer hardware. They are Wacom and Finepoint. I won't go into the technical differences in the technologies except to say that Finepoint based systems need special pens that require batteries. When you touch the screen with your hand or any instrument other than the right pen, nothing happens. You can hold the pen a quarter inch above the screen and the mouse pointer will follow as you move.

Wikipedia wasn't too helpful either:

Quote:

Slate computers, which resemble writing slates, are tablet computers without a dedicated keyboard. For text input, users rely on handwriting recognition via an active digitizer, touching an on-screen keyboard using fingertips or a stylus, or using an external keyboard that can usually be attached via a wireless or USB connection.

I'd think screen resolution doesn't really matter much for its intended usage. That is, for people who aren´t purchasing this as a toy.

I'm not really sure that statement makes any sense. I understand your intended point, but mine is that the value equation here rather sucks. A full OS does not outweigh what lacks in this first crop of Win8 machines. As much as I despise walled gardens and want Apple to finally have some true competition, this generation of Win8 tablets just aren't it. My iPad 3 certainly doesn't get used as a toy, and I would never pay more for something with much less. "Full OS" or not.

I built an i7 workstation with 32gig of ram for what this Lenovo will initially retail for. And that got built so I can develop for Win8 and iOS. Go figure. Better screens only on the 1k$ Tablets? Well, add in a Korean 27" IPS to my build and I get to that dollar amount.

What's the point of releasing a tablet that costs more than the average laptop? Enterprise-focused or not, who buys this crap?

Salesman perspective: For your job you need to carry a laptop to every sales call to enter orders. The software isn't overly cumbersome, but it is designed for keyboard, mouse, and touch. Critical are: decent screen size, low weight, small size, connectivity, and battery life. This is a device which will be used for a full 8-10 hours a day, and be carried around a lot.

Netbooks are too small. Laptops are too big (and many are too heavy). Tablets with a good, dedicated keyboard are perfect. You can use the sales software with a customer and input orders easily. Do emails. If you're just needing it to show POS, leave the dock in the bag. No strain on your shoulder/back from lugging around a thick laptop all day, plus bulky power cord.

No look at a company that has 10,000 sales staff in the US. Devices plus support, something like this becomes a really good buy, considering they were spending well over $1000 on sales and support for notebooks previously.

This is not for me. The keyboard doesn't really attach to the screen; it doesn't fold like a laptop, it doesn't have a trackpad and it doesn't have an extra battery. So the keyboard is designed to put on a desk and use with separate mouse. This not a laptop/tablet but a desktop/tablet. No laptab but a desktab. Or something.

I would be very hesitant to invest in a $800 tablet. For this price, I can buy Nexus 7 table + a small 10.6" laptop. There is still even enough money to put a 128 MB SSD in the laptop. May be the combo is not the same than the Windows 8 table, but that is how I feel comfortable to spend $800.

Netbooks are too small. Laptops are too big (and many are too heavy). Tablets with a good, dedicated keyboard are perfect.

If netbooks are too small, aren't 10-inch tablets too small as well? Put this thing on a desk and it will feel really small. You'll have to look down all the time which is bad for your neck. I'd prefer to put this thing in his dock on the side with a larger screen in front of me.

Since these are intended for enterprise customers they're not all that expensive for the hardware involved. Systems intended for enterprise users often have little in the way of bloatware and warranty support consumers can only dream of.

I'm not sure anythings been released with the Medfield Atom SOC but they're apparently not even remotely in the same ghetto as the earlier incarnations. Add in the digitizer, keyboard dock, more ports than your average desktop and and big honking battery the price isn't too crazy.

I could see these replacing WIndows XP-based tablets in places like hospitals where Windows tablets are thick on the ground.

Where is the added costs of a tablet vs a laptop? Not sure why $799 would be considered reasonably priced vs a laptop that basically has better hardware. Last I heard the Surface will most likely run above $400 but below $700. A wide guess to be sure. But I doubt it will come in below a iPad.